To engage the community in growing an equitable, local food system that promotes economic development, community development and sustainable agriculture.

At A Glance

Year of Incorporation2004

Organization's type of tax exempt statusPublic Supported Charity

Organization received a competitive grant from the community foundation in the past five yearsYes

Leadership

CEO/Executive Director Amelia Reese Masterson

Board Chair Lisa Holmes

Board Chair Company AffiliationCommunity Volunteer

Financial Summary

Projected Revenue$385,000.00

Projected Expenses$378,000.00

Statements

MissionTo engage the community in growing an equitable, local food system that promotes economic development, community development and sustainable agriculture.

BackgroundWhat began in 2004 with four neighbors in search of a fresh, local tomato, has grown into a statewide effort to get more local food to more people, promoting community development and sustainable agriculture in Connecticut.

Our programs increase access to local, healthy food; promote farm viability; engage the community through outreach and education; and advocate for policy change.

ImpactWe started our first farmers' market in 2004 and expanded to include three additional farmers' markets the following year. In 2005, City Farmers' Market Wooster Square became the first farmers' market in Connecticut to accept Food Stamps. That same year, CitySeed helped form the New Haven Food Policy Council to advocate for better food for a better city. Our programming has expanded throughout the years but is focused on increasing urban residents' access to fresh, healthy food while supporting the viability of farming in CT.

In 2007, CitySeed was key in securing a significant increase in state funding so all of Connecticut's 54,000 eligible seniors could participate in the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. Also in 2007, CitySeed started a Community Supported Market to ensure the viability of a farmers' market in a low-income neighborhood. In 2008, in order to help thousands of consumers connect with locally grown food and farm products, we launched www.buyCTgrown.com.

In 2010, we expanded our network of farmers' markets to include a fifth market operated in collaboration with the Connecticut Mental Health Center. This new market is nestled between CMHC, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and the Hill neighborhood. We also published New Haven Cooks | Cocina New Haven, a bilingual community cookbook that celebrates the cultural richness of New Haven through food. We also increased our technical assistance to our farmers' market colleagues around Connecticut with an online Farmers' Market Resource Center at www.buyCTgrown.com/marketmanagers.

NeedsOur organization's top need is to secure funding for staff during the off-season when planning for our market season activities and to secure funding for community projects and outreach that are neighborhood specific to New Haven.

CEO StatementOur organization's uniqueness is that we are collaborative in nature and able to work with a diversity of partners to increase local food access. We are a clear example of how a small New Haven based non-profit can have a positive impact on the entire state. In our case, that translates to more fresh food on the plates of New Haveners and more farm viability throughout Connecticut.

The health of urban residents and their ability to access local, healthy, fresh food is dependent on a healthy farm economy. While many of our programs occur in the Greater New Haven area, we do work state wide to improve the viability of farming in the state of Connecticut.

Nationally recognized by both USA Today and USDA for bringing local food to those who need it most, this network of five neighborhood farmers' markets in New Haven supports farmers who sell what they grow. In 2012, CitySeed Farmers' Markets redeemed over $80,000 worth of federal food benefits from low-income individuals. That translates to over $80,000 worth of fresh, local produce on the plates of our fellow community members! Many of our other programs have been built off of our farmers' market platform and we anticipate creating more innovative and far-reaching programs based on our markets' success.

In 2005, Farmers' Market-Wooster Square became the first farmers' market in Connecticut to accept Food Stamps through Electronic Benefit Transfers (EBT). In 2007, we gained recognition by the USDA as a Golden Grocer for our work in providing Food Stamp access at our markets and guiding other markets in doing the same.

The CSM delivers fresh produce from the farms at CitySeed's Thursday and Friday markets directly to community members, while supporting the viability of farmers' markets in low-income neighborhoods. In 2012, it delivered to over 100 individual households, including subsidized shares of produce to Food Stamp and WIC recipients in New Haven.

In collaboration with the Connecticut Children's Museum this bilingual preschool curriculum encourages healthy eating and has engaged over 2,000 New Haven and their families through hands-on literacy-based activities and farmers' market field trips. In 2011, this program entered into a new phase with the addition of farm visits, local food deliveries to classrooms as well as a family tasting/cooking event for each preschool site!

DescriptionThis market on wheels is a partnership between CitySeed and Common Ground High School which grows much of the food and provides student help in selling the produce. The Mobile Market concentrates on visiting food insecure neighborhoods in New Haven.

CEO CommentsIn 2012 we finalized our approach to operational procedures, such as financial and personnel policies, in order to be better equipped to make strategic decisions for the organization. We also created Financial, Development, and Executive Review Committees within in the Board of Directors, establishing standing and ad hoc committees to deal with pertinent issues of the organization's management and fiscal present and future. We are finalizing our Executive Review standards as well as our personnel policies in early 2013.

While our Board of Directors represents a community of customers and users of some of our services, we are currently focusing board member recruitment in neighborhoods with low-access to fresh produce - in particular Newhallville and the Hill neighborhoods.

This profile, including the financial summaries prepared and submitted by the organization based on its own independent and/or internal audit processes and regulatory submissions, has been read by the Foundation. Financial information is inputted by Foundation staff directly from the organization’s IRS Form 990, audited financial statements or other financial documents approved by the nonprofit’s board. The Foundation has not audited the organization’s financial statements or tax filings, and makes no representations or warranties thereon. The Community Foundation is continuing to receive information submitted by the organization and may periodically update the organization’s profile to reflect the most current financial and other information available. The organization has completed the fields required by The Community Foundation and updated their profile in the last year. To see if the organization has received a competitive grant from The Community Foundation in the last five years, please go to the General Information Tab of the profile.

Related Information

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A strong community not only meets its members’ basic needs but also works to create long-term solutions to their problems. Provide people with affordable housing, enough to eat and access to affordable health care and you enable them to envision a better future for themselves.